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Sunday, March 01, 2009

Ah yes, those goals for 2009 - the ones I said I would post, and here it is March and I haven't done that yet - oops! Even though they were not listed here (yet), I've still been doggedly chasing them.

March 1st, can you believe it's already that late in the year? We're in the final month of winter!

Bound and determined not to let all the bad stuff in the news get the better of me, I gave myself a rather ambitious list to try to conquer. Odd thing is, the ones that seemed impossible are pretty well in my pocket, while the ones that seemed rather straight-forward are proving to be more elusive. Time to get more firmly on-track.

Those Goals1. -4 new Galleries2. -2 solo exhibitions in 2 major NW cities3. -75% of art income from online sales4. -Build studio inventory to 40 pieces and maintain that number5. -Go to Scotland! (my one high-flying dream-big goal)6. -Build on ability in oils, increase proficiency

Now - here we are beginning Month 3 of the year, so where am I in all that? Not where I thought I would be, that's for certain! The one I thought would be inaccessible, #5 going to Scotland, is mostly in the bag. Plane tickets purchased, part of the itinerary hashed out, some friends to meet up with, spending 3 glorious weeks exploring the country. I'm not overly worried about this one any longer.

#4 inventory is proving to be a tough one to conquer. Most of what I'm doing, from January til now, is commissioned work. The few pieces that are not commissioned work that I'm working through are destined to galleries - current galleries that carry my work and galleries that have asked to carry my work. a 40-piece inventory could be the one that will remain just out of reach unless I figure out a way to feed that without neglecting galleries and commissioners.

#1 Four New Galleries. I have them in sight, they are ones who approached me. There's one in British Columbia who has the patience of a saint, but she will have her pieces soon. One in Idaho will be receiving 12, and I am struggling to supply those before the close of winter. There's a museum gift shop in New Mexico that will be carrying them as well, this Spring. There's another in Olympia, and I'm shooting for Spring with that one as well.

#2 Shows in NW Cities. I have not pressed forward with this one yet. It is completely reliant on that pesky goal #4 and getting sufficient good work to show. This one comes into play when that one gains some ground. I am scheduled, however, for a local gallery show in December - so although it's not a major city and not a solo (there will be at least two of us) it's a scheduled show.

#3 Sales mostly being from on-line. that one seems a bit sticky, doesn't it? Actually, that one is already achieved. Nearly all the work I'm doing now is commissioned pieces from folks who contact me through my website. I've laid groundwork in inbound marketing and making these visible on the internet, and have been striving to make myself findable online. So far so good. Bricks sales are not doing well right now, but people are shopping online.

#5 was the one I thought would be the most unreachable, so consequently that one's been heaviest on my mind. Because I've been thinking about it, scheming on how to pull it off, working out the steps and details to make it a reality, that is the one that is the closest to fulfillment.

So I think the lesson in that is pretty clear: nothing's unreachable if you're willing to do the work to make it happen. But you will get out of it exactly what you put into it, no more and no less. And that goes for all the goals on my list. So with that, I'm taking my hand-written list and tacking it above my art table. Every single day i will ask myself, "What will you do today to bring each one of these closer to completion?" They don't have to be big moves, even little things will bring you a little bit closer. But you can't do nothing and expect to attain something. It's just that simple.

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About Me

"How long does it take to paint a feather?" That is one of the titles you may have seen attached to an email filled with painted feathers that's been circulating since 2008. "God's Wings" seems to be the more prominent incarnation lately. So how long does it take? Well, 22+ years would be my answer, as that is how long I've been painting them. Each painting teaches me something that carries on to the next, and so it is a perpetual state of learning. Within my blog you'll glimpse some of that process along with new works, as well as diversions - from music that inspires me, to wanders here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and on occasion some far-flung travel. I love learning and have a broad range of interests, and you may be seeing some of that here along with new paintings as I finish them. Enjoy!